Government encourages uptake of electric vehicles

Eight cities have been awarded a multi-million pound
investment from the Government to increase uptake of electric vehicles.

Cities

Bristol, London, Milton Keynes and Nottingham were named as
’Go Ultra Low Cities’ and the main benefactors of the £40 million scheme, with
Dundee, the North East, Oxford and York sharing seed funding for EV specific
projects.

Funding

Cities secured funding by pledging innovative ideas and as
part of the initiative will deliver a roll-out of technology, such as
rapid-charging hubs and street lighting that can double as charging points,
along with a range of proposals that will give plug-in car owners further local
privileges such as access to bus lanes in city centres.

Revolution

The plug-in revolution is well underway
already, with 2015’s electric car registrations up 94% compared with the
previous year. The initiatives proposed by the Go Ultra Low Cities are set to
boost plug-in car numbers by around 100,000 across the UK by 2020, with these
cities acting as best practice case studies for other UK regions to echo.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “These Go
Ultra Low Cities have proposed exciting, innovative ideas that will encourage
drivers to choose an electric car. I want to see thousands more greener
vehicles on our roads and I am proud to back this ambition with £40 million to
help the UK become international pioneers of emission cutting technology.

“The UK is a world leader in the uptake of low emission
vehicles and our long-term economic plan is investing £600 million by 2020 to
improve air quality, create jobs and achieve our goal of every new car and van
in the UK being ultra-low emission by 2040.”

Go ultra low

Among the successful cities’ bids, London is awarded £13
million to create ‘Neighbourhoods of the Future’, prioritising ULEVs in several
boroughs across the capital. Proposals include Low Emission Zones that offer
parking and traffic priority to owners of plug-in vehicles.

Milton Keynes will receive £9 million to open a city
centre Electric Vehicle Experience
Centre, a ‘one stop shop’ providing consumer advice and short-term vehicle
loans. The city also proposes to open up all 20,000 parking bays for free
to EVs, give plug-in
vehicles the same priority at traffic lights as local buses, while also having
access to bus lanes.

With a £7 million grant secured, Bristol will give ULEVs
access to three carpool lanes in the city and introduce a plug-in car leasing
scheme. Nottinghamshire and Derby will use £6 million of funding to install 230
charge points and offer plug-in owners discount parking, plus access to bus
lanes in key routes across the city. The investment will also pay for a new
business support programme letting local companies ‘try before they buy’.

The scheme is also providing £5 million of development
funding for specific initiatives in Dundee, Oxford, York and North East regions
to help them play their part in kick-starting a country-wide clean motoring revolution.
New commuter charging hubs in Dundee will open up links across the region for
plug-in vehicle owners, while solar-canopied Park and Ride hubs in York will
help reduce air pollution in and around the city.